As the monsoon season progresses, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to continue the ban on chartered helicopter flights and landings within an 8 km radius of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu.
CAAN Deputy Manager Gyanendra Bhul announced that this decision was made to maintain flight safety, as air traffic controllers at the Kathmandu Tower continue to face challenges in managing regular domestic and international flights.
“The restriction on chartered helicopter flights and landings has been extended around Lalitpur’s Lakuribhanjyang, Chandragiri, and Gaushala, which fall within the landing and take-off routes of aircraft around the Kathmandu Valley,” Bhul stated. However, he emphasized that priority will be given to emergency and medical services. “Flights for medical emergencies and other rescue operations are exempt from this ban,” Bhul added.
This strict measure was initially enforced following an incident on April 30 when a Simrik Air helicopter from Lukla and a Qatar Airways flight from Doha came within two miles of each other during their landing approaches at TIA. The authority identified a pilot error by Simrik Air’s Captain R. Dangol as the cause and grounded him. Bhul noted that Captain Dangol has not yet been cleared to resume flights.
Before joining Simrik Air, Captain Dangol was grounded in January 2024 while piloting a Prabhu Helicopter during a landing at a football field in Syangja. Following this incident, he left Prabhu Helicopters and joined Simrik Air. CAAN’s continued ban aims to ensure the safety and smooth operation of flights during the monsoon season.
